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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · cold · rock · season · suit · arm · calf · land

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. suit — to fit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — in sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. suit — in cards
  8. season — of the year
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cold — an illness
  15. land — ground
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. suit — clothes
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. land — a country
  24. rock — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com